Doctor Killed in Office, 75 Arrested, Motive Unkown

Police and medical personnel stand outside a medical office near Hoag Hospital where shots were fired on Monday, Jan. 28, 2013, in Newport Beach, Calif. Police say a doctor has been shot and killed and a man is in police custody.
(Photo : Via The Orange County Register, Leonard Ortiz)

A doctor was shot and killed Monday in his office at Hoag Health Center in Newport Beach and a 75-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the murder, according to reports.

Urologist Ronald Franklin Gilbert, 52, was shot in his office Monday afternoon. Authorities said that responded to the emergency found the gunman in the exam room, exactly where the shooting took place. The suspect surrendered into custody without a struggle.

Newport Beach police spokeswoman Kathy Lowe identified the suspect on Tuesday as Stanwood Fred Elkus of Lake Elsinore, according to the Associated Press. His bail was $1 million.

Authorities said that six or seven shots were fired around 2:45 p.m. at 520 Superior Ave. in Newport Beach, where Gilbert's office is listed. No motive has been released.

No one else was injured or targeted, Lowe said. "It does appear to be an isolated incident," she said. Detectives were interviewing employees and patients in the building.

Orange Coast Urology's website, which lists Gilbert as a team member, says the group specializes in treatment of disorders of the urinary tract and genital conditions. The group is affiliated with Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, according to the website.

An employee that works one floor below from where the doctor was killed said she initially dismissed the gunfire to be construction related sounds.

"What's going on with the world today?" Kristen Cotty told the Orange County Register. "I mean, schools, now I got to worry about going to work. This has got to stop."